This invention relates generally to a driveline and, more particularly, to a driveline of the type in which a yoke is secured to the end of a rotatable member such as a shaft or tube and serves as a mounting for a universal joint cross which rotatably connects the member to another rotatable member while enabling relative angular movement between the two members.
Typically, a universal joint cross includes four equally spaced trunnions which rotatably journal cup-shaped bearing caps. Two diametrically opposite bearing caps are received within holes or pockets formed in one end of one yoke of the driveline while the other two bearing caps are received within holes or pockets formed in one end of a second yoke.
The bearing caps are retained radially with respect to the pockets of each yoke and also must be axially retained. One form of axial retention which has been used in the past is to machine a lug from the yoke, the lug engaging the end of the bearing cap to captivate the cap against movement axially of the pocket. Machining of the lug is expensive and requires extra thickness in the yoke to develop the lug. Moreover, the lug protrudes into the pocket and presents an obstruction which must be cleared during machining of the pocket.